App-Tronics, the maker of a rear view mirror with a built-in radar detector, is planning to offer this year, one of the first smart rear-view replacement mirrors with a built-in early crash warning detection system.
Within the next 4 to 6 months, App-Tronics plans to introduce a mirror that warns drivers when they are closing in on the car ahead too fast. The mirror will provide both visual and audible warnings. It is not expected to include lane departure warning, said App-Tronics President Mark Tierno.
In the next two weeks, App-Tronics with also introduce a new mirror called the SmartNav 5RA that adds Android and Waze capability to its current mirror with built-in radar. So your radar detector mirror can also double as a touch screen Android tablet.
The SmartNav 5RA runs Android 4.2 (Jellybean), and is similar in form to a standard mirror. But it has a built-in 5 inch mirror that comes into view as needed. And it has a built-in radar detector with X, K, KA super KA and Ku band detection plus laser detection.
It is WiFi capable, so that with a nearby hotspot or phone, it can download apps directly to the mirror. It may also be used to access the Internet with touch screen capability.
The SmartNav 5RA ships with built-in Waze, Shazam and iGO navigation. With Waze you get up to date traffic and navigation and with Shazam, you can identify and tag songs as you drive. Expected retail price will be in the $499 to $550 range.
The mirror screen is exceptionally bright at 600 nits, instead of the typical 400 nits, and is faster than may mirrors as it uses an 800 MHz processor, said Tierno. It can also be used for viewing a backup camera image.
The SmartNav 5RA has a red light camera and speed trap data base included. And optional backup camera is available.
